Heat
by Elviah
Summary: Silverwings was a wolf long before The Brain's experiments turned her into a shapeshifting human, so going into heat was nothing new for her. Its after she joined the Teen Titans and was exposed to the pheromones of a male shapeshifter, that she encounters a challenge she's never faced before - the desire to mate. The consequences...could be severe.
1. Silverwings' PoV

Silverwings paced up and down the floor of her room, a worried growl on the edge of her lips. It was that time again. The time of the month where her feral instincts would take over if she didn't show extreme constraint. And she meant _extreme._

Last month had almost been a disaster. The Titans had been in the middle of a battle with the H.I.V.E Five when Silver had been caught off-guard by an intense throb pulsating through her gut. It had caused her to falter and nearly incapacitated her in the middle of battle. Once they had taken back the Tower, Silverwings had locked herself away in her room for the remainder of the week.

Now it was that time again.

Silver reached the wall, and just as she started to turn around, a deep heat went through her and she cried out in shock.

 _Why? Why is it getting worse?_

The silver-haired teen was not unfamiliar with the cycles that came and went every month. She had spent the majority of her life as a wolf, until the Brain, back when he was still a human, had captured her for his experiments and she had ended up with shapeshifting powers. From there, she had encountered the Doom Patrol and a mysterious figure known as Slade before falling into the lap of the Teen Titans.

It was with this team that Silverwings started to learn more about humans and superheroes than she ever thought possible. Beast Boy had been a crucial factor in helping her adjust. There was just one problem.

Neither her nor Beast Boy were mated. Although they were very young in the eyes of humans, their animal instincts were developed to full maturity. Silver's were much stronger, due to her origins, and despite her human desire to stay independent, she knew the animal inside couldn't resist forever.  
Footsteps in the hall. Someone was coming.

"Silver? You ok? You've kinda been in there for a while."

 _Beast Boy._

"Oh, rat dung," Silver cursed under her breath, one hand curling around her abdomen while the other pressed against the wall for support.

This was not a good time for him to be here. Silver's body cried out for her to open the door and let Beast Boy claim her, but her logic screamed that they were way too young. She couldn't put Beast Boy through something that he might not understand yet.

"I – I'm fine, BB," Silver called out weakly, unable to suppress a moan.

She could feel him from the other side of the room. Even with the door closed, Silver could _feel_ his pheromones seeping from him and coming towards her. How had she been able to suppress this for so long? More importantly, how was he able to have such an intense effect on her? BB didn't exactly fit the dominant male role.

As the alpha female of her previous pack, Silver had been satisfied during each cycle by the alpha male. After her transformation, when she was on her own, her heats had been something she could take; not too painful, not hard to resist. Then she joined the team, and they had grown somewhat uncomfortable, but not unbearable. It wasn't until Beast Boy and Silver had been injured in a fight and their pheromones had actually touched each other, that her heats had become the most torturous thing she had ever experienced.

"Umm, are you sure? You don't sound fine," Beast Boy remarked with confusion. "Can I come in?"

"No!" Silver cried out frantically.

The second that door opened, she wouldn't be able to resist. She knew that. Silver would lose control to the animal inside her whose desires were growing, no matter what her logic said.

"No, Beast Boy, please don't," she begged, this time in a softer tone. "It's not safe for you."  
Another throb went through her body, and she slid down to one knee with a groan. Silver could sense his wavering emotions – the concern and the hesitation – and she silently prayed that he would leave.

She should have known better.

The door slid open with a quiet hiss.

"Silver, what is going on – oh."

The second Beast Boy laid eyes on her, Silver could see a change taking place in the back of his mind. Whether he realized it or not, they were both doomed. Her scent had attracted much stronger males than Beast Boy in the past, but none of them appealed to her as strongly as this one did now. Beast Boy didn't stand a chance, and neither did she.

"S-Silver…what is…you…why do you _smell_ so good?"

Beast Boy was fighting a losing battle. She could see it. Whether it was wrestling with his instincts or struggling to figure out the sudden change in her attitude, didn't matter. Not anymore. His pheromones had invited the wolf out to play, and she was here for a show.

Silver slowly lowered her other knee to the floor before stretching a leg out, almost in cat-like fashion. Her eyes were glued to Beast Boy's face as recognition flickered across his face. He was starting to understand.

"Close the door," Silver purred.

He was unusually quiet as he pushed the button on the wall, an expression of uncertainty on his face. Silver was mildly surprised when Beast Boy took a step further and locked it.

"You're…in heat, aren't you?" he asked in a low voice, taking a couple steps towards her.

They had never talked about it. Never acknowledged that this kind of situation could happen. In the backs of their minds, they knew, of course, that it was always a possibility. Now they were being faced with the exact scenario the two animals had been avoiding for so long. It had only been a matter of time.

She could see how he grit his teeth, his hands curling into fists to stop himself. Beast Boy was indeed showing a lot of restraint towards someone who was so willing to give in. Yet amidst his confliction, Silver could sense the sparks of youthful desire starting to ignite within him. They were already a burning flame in her.

 _Don't do this_ , her logic whispered.  
 _What are you waiting for_ , her urges roared.

Silver's hooded eyes locked with Beast Boy's piercing gaze. A deep, pulsating throb coursed through her body, more intense than anything she'd ever felt, and she moaned loudly. Beast Boy's irises dilated at the sound, the edge of his lip twitching as he fought to maintain control of himself.

It was useless. Silver knew it. She just had to coax the beast out of the boy to prove it. The female stretched out her body with an alluring purr, rolling onto her back to show her belly in a complete show of submission. A low growl came from Beast Boy, his body poised into a crouch as he struggled to resist.

"Silver, wh-what are you doing?" he snarled, his breath coming out in short pants.

How had he not given in to his instincts yet? She couldn't hold out any longer. The ache in her body had been going on for too long, and this time, there would be no holding back. This male needed to be hers – _now_.

Silver parted her lips with a pleading whine. "Beast Boy…please," she begged.

His resolve snapped. Silver gasped when he finally pounced, his lithe body coming over hers with alarming agility as he tangled his hand in her ponytail, jerking it to the side so his mouth could latch on to her neck. Silver moved her body with his as she succumbed, whimpering loudly as his canine teeth broke skin and sunk into her throat.

She cried out, wrapping her hands around his head, holding his teeth to her as his pheromones seeped into her open wound, mixing with hers to create an entirely new kind of bond between them that only existed between mates.

For the briefest of moments, Silver saw the same wild being in Beast Boy that had always resided within her. However, Silver's animal was tamed.

Beast Boy's was not.

"Silverwings-" he growled when he detached his teeth from her. "-you're _mine_."

She flinched, whimpering softly as Beast Boy dragged his tongue over her fresh mark. One hand remained tangled in her hair as the other ghosted over the waistline of her leggings. Silver jerked, letting out a yelp of alarm at his actions.

This was the consequence. Her actions had awakened something much more feral in him than Silver had expected, and now it was too late. Her body and instincts would not resist, and before her mind could refuse, Beast Boy was crushing his lips into hers with a hungry ferocity.

She submitted.


	2. Raven's PoV

Raven hadn't slept well last night. Something in the auras of the Tower had been keeping her awake, and she hadn't figured out what it was yet. Pulling her hood over her eyes, Raven drifted into the lobby of the Tower towards the kitchen to find her stash of herbal tea, and after pouring herself a cup, she curled up on the couch with a book.

The other members of the team started filing in, and everything seemed fine. Robin was the second awake, as usual, followed by Cyborg, but Raven's curiosity was piqued when Silverwings came in. She started cooking herself some eggs, while wearing a baggy sweatshirt with the hood up.

Waking up this early? Odd.  
Cooking eggs before they've had a battle? Odd, for Silver at least.  
Wearing a _hood_? Very odd.

The book stayed in her hands as Raven watched the silver-haired shapeshifter. There was something…off…about her presence. The confidence Silverwings normally carried herself with was subdued by another emotion. Was that…shame? Raven's brow furrowed as she took a closer look at this anomaly in her teammate's aura and realized there was indeed a shadow over Silver. A very _dark_ shadow. The question was, what for? And where did it come from?

Raven was momentarily distracted by Starfire's bubbly personality as she came in, but when Star asked Silverwings about her unusual choice of clothing and was brushed off like nothing had changed, Raven became even more suspicious. It was out-of-character for Silver to lie to Star, considering the shapeshifter and alien had very similar, albeit limited, understandings of people.

Then Beast Boy walked in, and the moment he and Silver locked eyes, an unspoken tension filled the air. No one else seemed to notice, and if they did, they didn't mention it. Raven's eyes widened as it suddenly occurred to her.

 _No…they wouldn't have…_

"H-hiya Silver," Beast Boy greeted timidly, waving awkwardly as he approached.

Silverwings flinched at his voice, which didn't make any sense, but then she appeared to be cowering away from Beast Boy.

"Hey BB," she murmured quietly.

As soon as Silver turned away from him, Raven could see the lines on her neck poking out from the shadows of the hoodie, and her chest tightened. Her suspicion was correct.

By now, it was clear that the rest of the team had been paying attention all along. As far as they knew, the two shapeshifters were best friends, so what was going on?

They hadn't yet come to the same conclusion as Raven.

She slammed her book shut, causing everyone else to jump, and within seconds, Raven had stormed into the kitchen and was dragging Beast Boy out of the lobby by the wrist.

"Hey, wait! Raven, what are you doing? I didn't even get my tofu eggs yet!"

He protested the entire way down the hall, and Raven ignored him the whole time. They stopped in front of his bedroom and she forced the door open before pushing him inside and letting it slam shut behind her. Beast Boy turned around to argue some more but didn't have a chance before Raven had him trapped against the back wall with dark energy.

"Ow! Raven, what are you –"

"Tell me it isn't true," she snapped, an angry edge to her voice. "Tell me you did _not_ mate with Silverwings last night."

Beast Boy flinched, his movements stilling as he stared at her with wide-eyes. _He_ wasn't even entirely sure what had happened, besides the mark, but Raven's accusation suddenly started to make a lot of sense.

"H-how did you know?" he asked, his cheeks flushing a lighter green color.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice? She walked in wearing a _hood_ , she was as jumpy as a frog, and I _saw_ the lines on her neck. What did you do to her?"

"I…"

Beast Boy swallowed hard, and his hesitation made Raven's gut churn. The torment she had sensed from Silverwings was clear as day, but Beast Boy's emotions were much more clouded, and they were difficult for Raven to interpret without a direction answer.

"I don't remember."

Raven's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, you don't _remember_?"

Beast Boy refused to meet Raven's gaze, and there was an undeniable tremor in his hands. Her suspicion was quickly waning away to something much more uneasy.

"Beast Boy, _what…happened_?" Raven pressed.

Normally, it was Cyborg that would offer Beast Boy guidance, but with how delicate this situation was, Raven knew that she had to be the one to intervene first, before the rest of the team got involved. They would find out in time, or from Silverwings herself if she dared give them an explanation. For now, her attention was focused on the shapeshifter still trapped against the wall.

Beast Boy drew in a painful breath, his green ears sagging as he struggled to explain.

"It started when I went to her room. I asked Silver if everything was ok, since I noticed she kept hiding for a week at a time, and she said she was fine. She didn't _sound_ fine, so I didn't believe her when she said yes, and then when she told me not to go in–"

"–you went in anyway," Raven muttered, groaning quietly under her breath.

Beast Boy nodded, his cheeks flushing again as he continued his explanation.

"I opened the door, and as soon as I went inside, I…I somehow just _knew_ what was going on."

He lifted his gaze, and Raven was slightly unnerved by the guilt in his eyes.

"I…I tried to stop myself, but I just…I _couldn't_. It didn't matter how hard I tried, I just – her scent was overwhelming, and then she started arching her back on the floor all cat-like, and then she started talking, and I couldn't –"

"Beast Boy," Raven snapped. "Focus. What _don't_ you remember?"

The embarrassment spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears, which were now all a minty shade of green.

"The 'after' part," he confessed.

Raven's brow furrowed.

"What 'after' part? What does that mean?"

Beast Boy swallowed hard, his gaze traveling to the floor.

"After…the mark," he said quietly. "I was looking down at her, and then…nothing."

Raven wasn't entirely sure what that meant, and to be honest, the art of mating practices was not a compelling subject of research to her, especially not when it applied to her two youngest teammates.

"I don't remember what I _did_."

Now that was not the answer she was expecting. Raven released the energy from Beast Boy, and he collapsed to his knees on the floor. When he didn't get up right away, she went over and kneeled down next to him, and when she placed a hand on his shoulder, Raven was surprised – shocked, even – to discover he was crying.

"Beast Boy," Raven murmured, her voice laced with concern. "What do you mean? How do you know you _did_ anything?"

His whole frame trembled as his body was wracked with fear and guilt. The sight was very troubling, as Raven had never seen Beast Boy so miserable before. Normally, the green shapeshifter would crack a joke or tell some made-up story rather than take responsibility for something. This was a first, and it was _not_ a good first. Not in the least.

When he finally was able to explain the reasoning for his guilt, Raven couldn't find any words of assurance to comfort him with.

"I don't know if this is something you can fix, Beast Boy."

They knelt there in silence, neither one knowing what to say.

"Raven…what have I done?"


	3. Starfire's PoV

Starfire entered the lobby of the Titans Tower with a bright smile on her face. She quickly counted the number of teammates in the room and was satisfied that her salutation would be well-met.

"Greetings, friends! It is a glorious morning of sunshine and happiness."

Her eyes caught Robin looking at her over his shoulder, an amused grin on his face, and Starfire's cheeks turned a light pink color.

"You hungry, Star? We got waffles!" Cyborg called out, waving his fork around in the air.

The box-shaped contraption on the counter opened across the top, shooting five freshly baked waffles into the air. A plate was pushed out of the side, and as soon as the waffles landed in a vertical stack, a metal arm extended to cover them in butter and syrup.

"Oh yes, waffles sound most satisfying," Starfire agreed as she floated over to the center counter.

The smile on her face faded, however, when she noticed Silverwings was sitting curled up on a stool wearing a hood upon on her head. The plate of eggs in front of her had barely been touched. Something didn't seem quite right about her appearance, and it wasn't just the sweatshirt, Star decided, as she landed on the kitchen floor beside the stool.

"Friend Silver, you are alright?" the Tamaranean asked.

When Silver lifted her gaze, Starfire felt an unfamiliar chill go down her spine. Her teammate looked deeply disturbed, and Star had no idea what could be wrong.

"You appear to be…troubled."

It was unusual for the silver-haired shapeshifter to be so upset when she was normally much more sure of herself. Starfire had often compared her confident attitude to Robin's, but today was different.

Silver's brow furrowed as her voice became short and clipped.

"I'm fine, Star."

The Tamaranean was not convinced and took a step forward with a little more persistence in her voice. "You do not seem fine, friend. Tell me, what is on–"

"I said I'm _fine_ ," Silver growled.

The angry tone of voice was, without question, a warning. Starfire hesitantly backed away a couple of steps, feeling confused and even more concerned than before. She and Silverwings had always gotten along well. She was from another planet, and Silver was not born as a human. They had similarities, so why was Silver acting differently now? Had something happened to her that would suddenly stop her from sharing her feelings? Star didn't know what to do, she did not want to overstep any boundaries, but something was certainly not right. She had to find a way to help her distressed friend.

Before she could question her teammate any further, the doors of the lobby opened, and Beast Boy walked in. Wonderful! Beast Boy could surely ease Silver's troubled mind, as he had done so many times in the past.

"Greetings, Beast Boy. Come share in the tradition of breakfast waffles," Starfire beamed, holding up a plate.

"No thanks, Star," Beast Boy muttered, slowly walking past her.

Starfire stared after him, her jaw dropping open in alarm. Beast Boy did not say no to food – _ever_. She watched as he went and stood on the other side of the counter from where Silverwings was sitting, and his behavior was most unusual.

In fact, _both_ of their behaviors were most unusual. Beast Boy and Silverwings did not even make a happy greeting to each other, which was always the first thing they did. They did not speak at all until Beast Boy turned around to get a plate for his tofu eggs.

"H-hiya Silver," Beast Boy greeted timidly, waving awkwardly.

Silverwings flinched at his voice, and if the Tamaranean saw correctly, she was suddenly trying to make herself appear smaller on the stool.

"Hey BB," she murmured quietly.

Starfire's face contorted with confusion. These were not the actions that took place between friends. These actions were what took place between non-friends and strangers.

She looked around and noticed that Robin and Cyborg were also watching the strange interaction taking place between Beast Boy and Silverwings, and they appeared to be just as confused as she did. Star was slightly comforted by the fact that she was not misinterpreting the situation, but the question remained as to why it was happening at all.

All of a sudden, Raven slammed her book shut from across the room, causing everyone to jump with surprise, and before anyone could even blink, Raven was dragging Beast Boy out of the room by the wrist.

"Hey, wait! Raven, what are you doing? I didn't even get my tofu eggs yet!"

The door closed behind them, and the lobby fell into silence. Her stool loudly scraped against the kitchen floor as Silverwings rose to her feet.

"I'm going to go train," she said abruptly, and rushed out of the room towards the elevator before anyone could argue.

As soon as she was gone, Starfire turned to Robin and Cyborg and saw that they were worried too.

"That was…an unusual interaction, was it not?" she asked.

"It was," Robin confirmed as his brow furrowed, "I wonder what's going on."

Cyborg lifted his arm and pressed a button next to one of his built-in screens.

"I might know."

"You have the answer to the strange behavior of our shapeshifting teammates?" Starfire inquired.

Cyborg nodded. "Maybe. I thought something was up with Silver when she walked in, so I ran a couple of discreet scans while she was making her eggs."

"Did you find anything?" Robin asked.

"Yea, but…the results don't make any sense. There is a spot on her neck where her DNA is different, so I ran a comparison algorithm on the sequence, and it shows up as an identical match to Beast Boy."

"Beast Boy? But that doesn't make any sense," Robin said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Why would Beast Boy's DNA be in her neck?"

Starfire's head tilted to the side as she wondered the same thing. Whatever had happened between Beast Boy and Silverwings could not have been an unfriendly attack, or else the team would have surely been awoken by the commotion.

A quiet gasp came from Star as she suddenly realized what may have occurred with her friends.

"Perhaps…I can be of assistance?" she offered.

Robin and Cyborg exchanged a glance, wondering what Starfire could possibly know, before Robin gave her a nod to go ahead.

"On my planet, we have Zarnics that are often kept as pets, but they must be in separated pens because of their frolicking behaviors every month. I have noticed that friend Silverwings has also been keeping herself apart every month, and I wonder if it is because she too has been wanting to avoid the behaviors that humans sometimes refer to as "mating", but perhaps last night she changed her mind?"

As soon as she said the word, both boys cringed. Robin started tugging at the collar of his cape and Cyborg suddenly became very interested with the information from his scans. Starfire looked between the two of them, putting her hands on her hips.

"Am I to assume I am mistaken? You are both very quiet all of a sudden," she inquired.

"I-I don't know, Star," Robin said, wholly uncomfortable with the mere thought. "Beast Boy doesn't seem like he would _do_ that."

"But it would explain the DNA," Cyborg pointed out. "And the hoodie Silver was wearing. I'm willing to bet she was trying to hide the mark on her neck."

Robin raised a brow at him. "Mark?"

"It is customary for a male Zarnic to bite a female on the neck as a symbol of claiming, and the teeth leave a mark for which other males can identify that a female has been chosen," Starfire explained. "I believe it is the same for male and female animals on planet Earth, yes? Silverwings has known the life of a wolf much longer than the life of a human."

"Actually, Star, it's rare for animals on Earth to do that. Usually it's just sharks that will bite. We don't know what kind of pack Silver came from, so it's possible she's seen it before," Cyborg theorized, "but that doesn't explain how Beast Boy would know about that practice."

Cyborg was maintaining calmness about the situation much better than Robin was. Starfire was not surprised to see their team leader fidgeting and looking so uncomfortable as they talked about these things. Cyborg was a few years older and closer with Beast Boy than Robin was, so it made sense that the topic of animal behaviors was better understood by him.

A frown crossed Starfire's face as another thought went through her head.

"There is one thing I do not understand," she said, earning curious looks from Robin and Cyborg. "These "mating" practices are only done when a female agrees, but it did not look like Beast Boy and Silverwings were very agreeable this morning."

The room fell silent.

"You're right Star," Cyborg admitted in a worried tone.

Robin's eyes widened, and he struggled to voice his next thoughts. "You don't think he…forced himself on her, do you?"

Starfire's head quirked to the side. That was not a phrase she was familiar with, but before she had the chance to ask, Cyborg let out an amused snort.

"BB? No way. I would be surprised if it even got that far at all. The guy barely knows his left foot from his right."

His statement didn't appear to bring much comfort to Robin, which made Starfire nervous. This 'forced' action that they were referring to seemed to have a much more complicated meaning than she understood, and not in a good way.

"Still, there's definitely something else going on," Robin stated.

Starfire raised a hand, lifting herself off the ground as she prepared to fly.

"Perhaps I shall go have a talk with Silverwings, now that she has been given the space necessary to calm down," she offered.

"Good idea," Robin agreed. "We'll stay here until you get back."

Starfire nodded and headed for the stairwell, using her power of flight to quickly descend to the training room, which was down in the basement, below sea level.

As she approached the door, Star noticed just how quiet it was. It did not sound like Silverwings was engaging in a session of training. She pressed the button on the wall, and as the doors slid open, Starfire let out an audible gasp.

The training room had been utterly destroyed. Equipment had been knocked over. The walls had been torn into. Free weights and shards of metal were strewn everywhere. It was a disaster.

Amidst the mess, right in the center of the room, was Silverwings. She was on her knees, bent over with one hand on the floor and the other hand covering her face. The hood was still up.

"Silver?" Starfire called out anxiously as she flew to the middle of the floor.

As she landed, she noticed Silverwings was shaking and realized that her friend was crying. Starfire inhaled sharply, quickly kneeling down and placing a hand on the shapeshifter's upper back.

"Silverwings, please, tell me what is wrong," Starfire begged. "I do not understand what is troubling you."

Silver sniffed, choking back a sob as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"There's nothing you can do to help, Star," she said hoarsely. "I screwed up bad… _really_ bad."

Starfire hesitated. She wanted to offer help for these upset emotions, but she knew from previous conversations that Silver did not like to linger on her feelings for very long. Was it better to mention what her, Robin, and Cyborg had been discussing in the kitchen? On one hand, what they decided seemed like a logical explanation. On the other, saying so would reveal that they had been speaking things about her when she was not around. Either way, Star knew had to uncover the truth, no matter what Silverwings found out.

"I do not wish to pry, nor do I wish to cause more hurtful feelings, but Silver, I must ask." Starfire pulled her hand away and moved to kneel in front of the shapeshifter. "The hood that you are wearing…it is to hide the mark of a Zarnic bite on your neck?"

Silverwings tensed up. Almost immediately, her crying stopped as the last few tears trickled down her cheek. Slowly, she lifted her hand and pulled the hood away to reveal her head, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

Starfire gasped.

On the lower right side of Silver's neck, there were four deep holes that were slightly puffy, but did not appear to have caused any bleeding as there was no redness. Upon closer examination, Star realized there were also faint outlines of human teeth that created a circular shaped mark. She lifted a hand to take a closer look but was stopped by Silver.

"I'm not hurt, Star," she assured, "it's just a…what did you call it?"

"A Zarnic bite. You are sure you are not injured?" the Tamaranean implored.

Silver nodded, reaching a hand up to gingerly rub the spot. Starfire was silent for a moment, looking at the mark with concern. It did not appear that any pain was being inflicted.

"On my planet, such a marking means a female pet has been claimed by a male and cannot partaking in the "mating" practices with another."

Silverwings flinched, but unlike the boys upstairs, her reaction was calm.

"That's…not quite what happened, Star," Silver said quietly. Her hand fell back into her lap and she started fidgeting with them. "It's…it's hard to explain."

"Please, friend. Share with me so that I may try to understand," Starfire urged. "You are in need of someone to listen, yes?"

Silver hesitated, and for a moment, Starfire thought she was going to ask her to leave, but after a couple minutes, the shapeshifter sighed.

"Yea...I _do_ need to talk, no matter how uncomfortable it might be," she admitted.

"Come, friend, let us sit and do the hanging out," Starfire said cheerily.

Silver let out a snort, unable to conceal her smile. The two of them pulled their legs out from underneath their thighs and shifted into seated positions on the floor across from one another. Starfire was not worried about what she was going to hear. She was just glad that Silver was once again willing to talk with her.

Silverwings took a deep breath, pausing a moment to think about how she wanted to explain.

"Your Zarnic creatures, as you call them – I am assuming they go into a frenzy every month and the males have to be kept separate from the females?" she asked.

Starfire nodded.

"I thought so. It's called going into heat, and the cycles happen every month. What happens is that the females start secreting a pheromone that makes their scent very strong and it attracts the males. It is so overwhelming to them that the males cannot think about anything else besides claiming that female. They do not have the ability to stop themselves because it is purely instinct that is driving them."

Silverwings paused, studying her teammate's face. "Do you understand so far?"

"I believe so. This heat smell is what causes the frolicking behaviors?" Starfire asked.

The edge of Silver's mouth quirked up into a half-smile. "Yea, exactly."

Starfire beamed, delighted that she was learning, and also a little relieved that she was already familiar with some of the information. What she knew she had learned from her own Zarnic before it was eaten by a Glorg.

"Anyway, do you remember that fight we had against those two brothers, Thunder and Lightning?"

Starfire nodded again.

"Beast Boy and I were both burned during that fight. Not too bad, but enough to release our pheromones, and after the battle, ours touched. When that happens between any male or female animal, the female's heat becomes much more painful and intense."

"Painful? This cycle injures you?" Starfire asked with concern.

"Not in the way a fight does. Going into heat is like…" Silver's fangs poked out as she chewed on her bottom lip, choosing her words with care. "It's like getting a really bad stomachache, only instead of feeling sick, you get…urges."

Starfire's head quirked to the side, and her confusion grew when Silver swallowed hard and seemed to brace herself for something.

"I do not understand. What are these "urges" you speak of?"

Silverwings let out a breathy sigh, sounding a little bit uneasy. "Well, as far as I know, they are mostly an animal instinct, although I've heard humans get them too. They are…" She struggled to find the words, and then gave up on trying to beat around the bush. "Well, they are a physical reaction that comes from the desire to mate."

Starfire sat there with a blank expression, and the attempted grin deflated from Silver's face.

"You…don't understand."

The Tamaranean shook her head, and Silver turned her eyes to the floor, scratching the back of her head as she tried to come up with another way to explain it.

"Uhhh, ok, well, it's like…it's like when we were fighting the H.I.V.E Five and Robin disappeared, you had the urge to keep looking for him, right?"

A shiver went down her spine. Starfire had not enjoyed the squeamish movements in her stomach that had lasted until Robin had been found.

"Yes. That day was most dreadful," she recalled unhappily.

"Well, that urge feels similar to a heat, only the female wishes to mate, not go looking for a lost person," Silver explained, once again searching Starfire's face for a reaction. "Does…that make sense?"

Starfire was quiet for a moment. She had never participated in any acts of mating, and truthfully, knew very little about them. However, the desire she had to find Robin, during that awful day when the Titans received the kicking of butt, was not something she had forgotten. If those kinds of feelings were similar for Silverwings during these cycles of heat, then it made some sense why it could have happened between her and Beast Boy.

"Mostly," she confirmed. "I believe I shall have to learn more to fully understand."

"That's ok, Star. As long as you kind of understand that part, the rest of the story isn't too hard to follow.

"Anyway, during that H.I.V.E Five battle, I started going into heat, and I wasn't expecting it. That was why I stopped fighting and Mammoth almost nailed me. When we took back the Tower, I hid in my room just like I have been the last few months. I thought I would be fine, and I was, until Beast Boy knocked on my door. He asked if I was ok, and I told him yes, but instead of leaving, he came into my room instead."

Starfire's eyes widened. "But Silver, if you were on a cycle of heat, would that not also mean you were creating the desirable smell?"

Silver's jaw tightened. "Yes. That's exactly the problem." Her breath hitched, and Silver swallowed hard. "Beast Boy walked in, and that's why I now have this mark on my neck, but…"

Starfire waited patiently for her to finish, but the rest of the story never came. Star noticed how Silver appeared to be looking at something across the room, but when she looked over her shoulder to see, there was nothing there. She turned back to her teammate and spoke softly.

"But…what, Silver?"

Silverwings sighed heavily, scratching at the back of her neck. "I can't help but think that it's my fault," she admitted. "I should have left the Tower for a while or locked my door or done _something_ different."

Starfire noticed that Silver avoided her gaze while she spoke, and when the shapeshifter looked back up, Star had a strange feeling that the words were different than what Silver wanted to say. Was she not sharing something again?

"I do not believe there is blame to be placed," Starfire said, placing a hand on Silver's shoulder. "You said the heat scent is overwhelming to the minds of the males, and you cannot control your cycles of heat, correct?"

Silverwings sighed, shaking her head. "Still, I should have kicked Beast Boy out the second he opened my door." She pushed herself to her feet and began pacing through the rubble on the floor.

"He is too young to understand how complex my heat cycle is. We may be the same age in human years, but I've dealt with all of this before. My scent just…overwhelmed him and he lost control of himself, and I don't blame him. I was the alpha female of my pack before the Brain turned me into a shapeshifter."

Starfire noticed her pause to take a breath, and quickly interjected her question. "Alpha?"

"It means the leader, like how Robin is for our team," Silverwings clarified, and Starfire nodded her understanding.

"Alphas always secrete a stronger scent than other members, and when the Brain changed me, my scent became even stronger. So much so that even regular males, like Beast Boy, are entirely overcome by their instincts when they are near it."

Starfire had followed Silverwings to the other side of the room during her emotional explanation, and the shapeshifter now leaned against the wall with a quiet groan.

"He couldn't control himself. I know that. But now he has to carry this on his conscious and it was not fair of me to do that to him," she murmured. "I should have found a way to stop."

"From what I once saw of the Zarnic behaviors, I do not believe that would have been possible for you," Starfire said gently. She walked up to Silver and placed her hands on top of the shapeshifter's crossed arms. "Do not place blame upon yourself. There is nothing you could have done to change it."

Silver's gaze slowly drifted up to meet Starfire's eyes.

"You and Beast Boy are…close. Perhaps now more than ever, and I believe that you should share your feelings with him so that you are no longer carrying this guilt."

The shapeshifter cringed at her teammate's suggestion.

"I don't know, Star…he's not going to want to talk about it," she said glumly.

Starfire held out a hand. "You must try."

Silver eyed it, then reluctantly placed her hand in Star's.

"Alright. Let's go find Beast Boy."


	4. Beast Boy's PoV

Beast Boy circled his thumbs around each other, keeping his gaze down as he sat on the kitchen stool. He could feel the eyes of his teammates on him, and it made his hair stand on end. Robin and Cyborg had tried to ask him about last night, but the moment they had opened their mouths, Raven had shut them up by saying it was something Beast Boy needed to deal with on his own. They had kept quiet after that.

Which was lucky for Beast Boy, because his thoughts were loud enough right now anyway without the chatter of their voices as well. His mind replayed the events of the morning as he tried to keep his discomfort at bay.

 _I woke up in Silver's room, which means I never left after giving her that mark on her neck. She was gone. Her bedframe was all scratched up. There was splatters of blood on the sheet. And the air smelled like…something else. I don't know_ what _that was._

He had confessed these things to Raven in his room, and she had seemed really uneasy about it but had refused to say why.

 _I know I did something to Silver. I just don't know what that something is._

Beast Boy's thumbs stopped as he hugged both arms around his gut. He hadn't felt so unnerved since he left the Doom Patrol, and that was nothing compared to the situation he was facing now.

His ears perked at the sound of the elevator dinging and he looked over his shoulder to see Starfire and Silverwings exiting into the lobby. The shapeshifters locked eyes, and everyone else's eyes fell on the marks on Silver's neck.

The room was silent.

Silverwings shifted her gaze to Robin and Cyborg, and Beast Boy could tell that she knew they suspected something was up. There was physical evidence right in front of them to confirm whatever suspicions they had.

Robin stepped forward and broke the silence first.

"Silverwings. Are you ok?" he asked with genuine concern.

The question seemed to come as a surprise to everyone. Robin was known for his stoicism, but when it came to the well-being of his teammates, his tough-guy façade would fade away.

Silver shrugged. "Depends on your definition of ok."

Beast Boy didn't look up, but his brow furrowed in confusion. He was actually able to hear the nervousness in Silver's tone, even though she made herself sound as indifferent as possible. Weird.

"We know the mark on your neck came from Beast Boy," Cyborg said. "I ran a scan on you this morning, and your DNA had traces of his in it."

Silver's eyes narrowed.

"I'm assuming this was when my back was turned," she remarked icily.

"Yep."

She rolled her eyes, letting out scoff, but said nothing further.

Beast Boy started pulling at the edges of his sleeves. The tension in the air was thick as smog, and it was making him uncomfortable. Somebody had to do something to clear this up or he was going to go nuts.

Raven took a few strides towards Silverwings, pulling her hood down, and Beast Boy wanted to shrink into a mouse. Raven had always looked serious, but whatever was on her mind could plainly be seen by her facial expression that she was definitely not playing around right now.

"The mark isn't the only thing that happened, is it," Raven remarked curtly.

Silverwings flinched.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she growled, her eyes narrowing.

"The hoodie. Take it off," Raven snapped.

The rest of the team started exchanging confused looks, but Beast Boy's gaze fell back into his lap. He knew what Raven was looking for, but he was dreading the possibility of what the answer may reveal.

"What for, Raven? Can't a girl change her style every once in a while?" Cyborg casually stated.

He recoiled under Raven's angry glare before her eyes moved back to Silver. Whatever answer she was looking for, she was clearly determined to get.

"Is it true?" Raven hissed.

"Raven, what are you talking about?" Robin asked.

Raven ignored him and continued to push for answers. "Did it actually happen?"

Beast Boy lifted his eyes to look around the room. Raven stood in front of Silverwings, and the two of them were having a faceoff that neither girl was going to back down from. Starfire was standing behind Silverwings while Robin and Cyborg remained in the kitchen, and all three of them looked were confused as ever.

He pushed himself off the stool and started to approach the stare-down. "Uh, Raven, I don't think she should show every-"

He was interrupted as everyone in the room gasped. He looked over at Silverwings, letting out a yelp of shock as he jumped back.

She had pulled off the hoodie to reveal the true damage she had been hiding. Her entire upper body and parts of her waist were covered in scratches and bruises, some of which were much worse than others. Just above her waistline, right on the edges of her pants, there were purple discolored marks in the shape of fingers.

The room was only silent for another moment.

"You did not share that you were injured, friend Silver!" Starfire exclaimed, clearly upset by what she was seeing.

"Whoa…" Cyborg muttered quietly.

"Silverwings, what _happened_?" Robin asked.

The leader of the team was not easily shaken up, but even Beast Boy could see that this had Robin off-balance.

Silverwings did not respond to anyone, only lifted her gaze to look at Beast Boy with tear-filled eyes. It made him sick to his stomach to realize that _he_ was the cause of her pain, but even with her standing there, his brain couldn't grasp the truth of the situation.

Raven turned to Beast Boy with a heavy sigh. "Looks like you were right," she murmured. The edge to her voice was gone, replaced with a tone of grievance.

Beast Boy's mouth felt as dry as chalk. "I… _I_ did that?" he choked out.

Silverwings nodded.

Beast Boy stood there, staring at her marred body with wide-eyes. How was that even possible? He would never have willingly injured his best friend. Not in a hundred years.

"We should bring Silverwings to the infirmary," Raven declared.

No one argued.

Her gaze fell on the shapeshifters. "You two can talk about this in there."

Beast Boy didn't remember moving his feet towards the infirmary. The walls around him were twisting upside down while the ceiling spun in circles, and once he realized he wasn't moving anymore, Beast Boy found himself sitting on the edge of a bed across from Silverwings while Cyborg and Raven patched her up. He had never been so dizzy in his life.

 _I'm not even the one who was hurt and I feel like I'm going to puke._

He closed his eyes, willing the uneasiness to pass, but when he opened his eyes, he felt even more seasick than before. Beast Boy slowly lifted his gaze to find Silverwings quietly sitting cross-legged on the opposite bed, her eyes staring above the headboard at the monitors on the wall.

"Why?" he gasped shakily, looking down at his hands. "Why would I do that to you?"

Silverwings looked over at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"You don't…remember what happened?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "No. I remember walking in and your scent was just everywhere, and I tried to resist this…this _feeling_ I had, but I couldn't, and then after-" he pointed to her neck "- _that_ …nothing. I woke up in your room and you were gone."

Silverwings swallowed hard, fidgeting with her fingers, but she did not respond.

"Silver, I don't know what I did," Beast Boy lamented.

"Maybe that's for the better," she murmured.

Beast Boy let out a quiet groan. "No, it isn't. The whole team knows I'm responsible for this, and I don't even know what 'this' is."

Silverwings looked back up into his eyes, speaking with an edge to her voice.

"You don't _want_ to know. I didn't even want _them_ to know, but Raven didn't leave me much of a choice."

Beast Boy stared at her, his mouth gaping with surprise. Had he really done something so awful that she would have kept it secret from the team for the rest of her life? Another wave of seasickness washed over him, and Beast Boy had to grip the edge of the sheets to keep himself steady. This was not good. Not good at all.

"What are you saying?" he asked hesitantly. "You would've kept this hidden from us?"

Silverwings nodded. "Until the marks were healed, yes."

"But… _why_?"

She broke her gaze away, but it didn't matter. Beast Boy could see the tremor in her fingertips and shoulders, and it only made his anxiety worse.

"Silver, tell me what I did. Please," Beast Boy begged.

She swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. " _Why_?"

A whine of fear slipped through his teeth. Beast Boy jerked his head up as he lost control over his tone and started outright panicking.

"Because whatever it is must be really bad! Because you're refusing to say anything about it and that-" his voice cracked "-that _scares_ me, Silver. I _need_ to know."

She started chewing on her bottom lip, hesitating to meet his gaze. Beast Boy was caught off-guard by an overwhelming sense of terror, and it took him a moment to realize the feeling was coming from Silverwings. Not himself. His gaze fell to the mark upon her neck, and he realized the bond between them was not only heightening their emotions; it was causing them to sense each other's feelings.

After what felt like an eternity, Silverwings finally gave a resigned sigh.

"Alright."

She shuffled on the bed to face herself towards him, but she kept her gaze on her crossed feet. Beast Boy was ok with it for now since he wasn't entirely cured of his own queasiness yet.

"After the mark, your scent and your eyes…changed. Your pupils turned white and your irises vanished. It was _freaky_. My scent must've triggered your primal instincts, because you lost all control over yourself, Beast Boy, and you…"

Her voice cut off as her resolve cracked, and she started sobbing uncontrollably. The sound was not angry or upset. It was _broken_.

Never before had Beast Boy seen or felt her so terrified, and it shook him to the core. Something was wrong. _Very_ wrong. He was frozen in place, too afraid of what she was going to say to move.

Silverwings sniffled, choking back a sob as she swallowed hard.

"You _mounted_ me."

Everything in his mind came to a grinding halt. He did _what_? Beast Boy's jaw dropped open in shock.

"No…no, Silver, I-I _couldn't_ have – I wouldn't – I would never hurt you like that!" he blurted out, but his protest was in vain as she continued to explain.

"Your fangs and nails grew longer, and you became a hell of a lot stronger than you normally are. Even if I was in a normal state of mind, I couldn't have fought back if I tried."

Beast Boy's breathing quickened as he let out another whine of fear, and he clutched a hand to his chest to keep himself from ripping a hole through the mattress. This wasn't happening. It just wasn't possible.

The bandages hiding the injuries all over her body told a different story.

He swallowed hard, but the saliva in his mouth had run dry, and he ended up coughing instead. A chill crept up his spine like some sort of vile shadow.

"Did-did I force myself on you?" Beast Boy choked out.

Silverwings stiffened, mirroring him by grabbing the edge of the sheets. "I was in heat, Beast Boy. During that time, my feral side takes over and makes me very submissive. You would never have known what I was really thinking."

His gut churned, like someone had just kicked him in the stomach.

 _I did. I forced myself on her when the mark would have been enough._

"Silver, I…"

Beast Boy fell silent. He was too disgusted with himself to even try to make up an excuse or explanation for his actions. How did he let himself get so out of control? The infirmary suddenly felt more like a prison than a place for healing. He hugged his gut, closing his eyes as he held back another wave of nausea.

 _We've put people in jail for doing things like this. What was I thinking?_

He didn't dare lift his eyes to look at her. How could he, after what he learned he had done to her.

 _She should be furious…how has she not gotten mad at me yet?_

Beast Boy shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

A beat of silence.

"I know," she murmured.

"If I had just _listened_ when you told me not to come in, none of this would have happened," Beast Boy growled at himself.

"Maybe, but…we both knew this was coming, Beast Boy," Silverwings reminded him. "I couldn't keep hiding forever."

He didn't have a good response to that. Part of him wanted to argue that they would've been okay for a while, but after last night's events, Beast Boy knew that she was right. There was no way they could have avoided it forever, but knowing this didn't make him feel any better about it.

I _hurt her. Not Robin. Not Cyborg. Not Raven or Starfire._ Me. _It's my fault that this happened. Dude, I'm such an idiot. How could I betray her trust like that?_

Beast Boy pushed himself off his bed with a grunt and headed towards the door.

"I'll leave so you can get some rest," he muttered.

"Wait."

Her hand on his shoulder pulled him to a stop, and when Beast Boy looked over at her with confusion, she responded by lightly tugging him forward so that he was standing right next to her bed. Despite every bit of her wrath that he knew he deserved, Silverwings was being gentle.

"Beast Boy, I know your instincts took over, but…I don't _blame_ you for this."

"You should," he huffed.

"I don't. Blaming each other is not going to change what happened," she murmured.

Silverwings placed a hand on his cheek, catching him by surprise as she looked into his eyes.

"You are my best friend, Beast Boy – and technically, my mate now too – but you are the only one in the world who will ever truly understand me."

Beast Boy's brow furrowed in confusion, but his tongue robbed him of words. She had no reason to be nice about this – none at all – and yet in typical Silverwings fashion, she was being completely selfless towards him.  
"I'm not saying it will be easy, and I don't forgive you yet because I can't right now, but I could never just cut you out of my life. I wouldn't want to."

Did he have too much wax in his ears? Was he hearing this right?

"I…I don't want you to either," Beast Boy admitted slowly as the shock started to wear off.

He could hardly believe what she was saying. Silverwings was not forgiving him yet, which he understood because _he_ didn't even forgive himself yet, but where he had been expecting a thrashing, he instead found kindness.

Beast Boy quickly shook his head as he scratched the back of his neck. "So, I, uh, guess I'll go talk to the team about this."

Silverwings grabbed one of his hands and pulled him forward for a peck on the cheek, causing his face to flush a light minty green.

"Kiss for luck, because I'm pretty sure Cyborg and Robin are going to throttle you," she smirked.

Beast Boy shuddered. "Dude, Cyborg is totally going to kick my butt for this."

Silverwings chuckled lightly, and he couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Soo, we're good?" he asked.

She shrugged one shoulder.

"We will be."


End file.
